Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1887-01-29
CONTEMPLATING.
Making Spurious limitations of Ameri-
can Money.


can Money.
The countcrfeiting at present is
confined almost entirely to the coin
issues OF the Government, writes a
Washington correspondent Of the
New York World. us not gem
orally known that the nickles and
the pennies are very successfully
countcrteited and that there is no
possible means of detecting the
spurious from the genuine. The
nicllels afford a very handsome
profit. All the counterfeiters have
to do is to 20 to the Revised Sta
tutcS and there they fluid the ma
terialS to be- used i'll their making.
All Of the metal employed is base.
A nickle costs the Government
about one cent and quarter. If
the Government had the exclusive
manufacture OF these coins there
would be Il great profit in them
Bus the coin can ne so easily re-
produced that there is no means OF
estimating how many of them are
put out Of the counterfeit class. If
the Government should decide to
cali in this class of coin they would
have to redeem the couliterteitS as
well, because they are all made OF
exactly the same material us the
Governments issue. The bronze
pennies are also nounterteited.-
There is a plohtin this. Tie bronze
of which the pennies are made
costs "a cents a pound. A pound
will make 100 pennies. The only
way this part of the currency can
be detected would be tor Congress-
to change the law so that bullion to
the value OF the coin can be put in
it. The nickels to day represent a
Scrt of fiat currency. They are
stamped by the government us five
cents and they really represent
only cent and IL quarter.
One of the latest kinds of coun-
terteiting is the imitation of old
coins for sale TO the numiSmatiStS
One otthe most ingenious modes OF
deception in this class of work is
the changing of the dates of some
common Issue of Il certain coin to
the date of Il year whose issue is
scarce and consequently high. The
old liberty dollar of 1S04 is very
scarce. 1t is said that there are
only seven genuine coins OF this is.
sue in this country The coin is
rated in numismatic catalogues at
IL value of 81 POO and upwards
The counterteiterS have been Qnite
successful in changing 1901 issues
to that of 1901. This is not coun-
tsrteiting in the strict legal sense
OF the word, and the treasury Off
clals would not be able TO punish
ANY one for this class of ofienSe.-
But they have exercised their pow
Ell to put a stop to such work whcr
ever they have found it going on.
Another form Of trouble met
with by tue treasury people in pro
tecJlng the currency sin the various
devices employed by enterpriSing
advertisers. "A number of adver-
Users will print fac SMILES of coins
or of the currency in their adver
tIsementS. Coin catalogues very
often contain embossed reproduc
t;ous Of the coin advertised. When
these are silvered or gilded they
become dangerous. Their backs
and fronts are often pasted togeth
ct and passed il le. eyeli:n s -~uToi,p
ignorant people. Smaller coins OF
Tie silver embossed character are
constantly being slipped into the
street car boxes where they CALI
lot have close inspection, particu-
larry when they are slipped i'll dur
Ing The evening. The Italians and
lilc small fruit people are used for
The purpose of working eff all the
small cOunterfeitS.
Une OF the most successful
c9uhterieiterS has batfled the treas
lily tor over five years. lie has
accepted such an original role that
thus far no trace OF him has ever
ueen reached. His name, even, is
lot known. A fairly good descrip-
ton OF him has been obtained, but
beyond that the Secret Service
Bul eau has 10 positive informal
lDn. This couuterieileI works
alone. He has no apparatus be-
Aond a pen and bottle of lux, and
having no accolnpliceS, lis not in.any
danger of being betrayed. His
method of proceeding is very sim
pie. lie VIII take a ten, twenty,
or fifty of the greenback or ma
tional bank issue, and i'll the short
est possible time can make such
successful copy Oft IN pen and ink
as 10 defy detection from anybody
hut an expert with u glass. l saw
fifty dollar note at the treasury
made by him of the greenback is
sue. The general appearance Of
this bill is perfect. The lines about
all of the portrait work bear the
closest inspection under glass;
Tie letter work is absolutely cor
rect and the signatures miraculous